Continuing with my recent obsession of L.M. Montgomery's The Blue Castle (and my lifelong love of Anne of Green Gables) I wanted to not only read LMM's novels, but to learn more about the author behind these books that have had such an impact on me this last year.
It was a delight to encounter the author through her wonderful little autobiography, The Alpine Path.
L.M. Montgomery spent much of its 96 pages detailing her childhood – despite the fact this book was subtitled "the story of my career". However, it quickly became clear why her childhood stole focus.
She was raised on Prince Edward Island (where all but one of her 20 novels are set) by her grandparents. She loved the island with all her being, and her fond memories are the reason her books are the way they are.
Anne, Emily, Pat and all the rest of her heroines were not just born when LMM put them to paper – their origins are in the adventures she herself had on the Island. Much of her own soul is in her characters.
L.M. Montgomery and her characters share a deep love for nature. Open any one of her books and the evidence is clear. Her prose is full of beautiful descriptions, and that is true of her autobiography as well. Prince Edward Island comes alive with her words.
"Much of the beauty of the Island is due to the vivid colour contrasts – the rich red of the winding roads, the brilliant emerald of the uplands and meadows, the glowing sapphire of the encircling sea. It is the sea which makes Prince Edward Island in more senses than the geographical. You cannot get away from the sea down here. Save for a few places in the interior, it is ever visible somewhere, if only in a tiny blue gap between distant hills, or a turquoise gleam through the dark boughs of spruce fringing an estuary. Great is our love for it; its tang gets into our blood: its siren call rings ever in our ears; and no matter where we wander in lands afar, the murmur of its waves ever summons us back in our dreams to our homeland."
Along with the real-world locations, there were her own adventures that inspired her writing. She gives us insight into the truth behind such comedies as the liniment cake, her tendency to name trees (from Lady Snow to Gavin), and her imaginary friends which eventually became Anne's.
One insight I particularly reveled in was that LMM considered the death of Matthew Cuthbert at the end of Anne one of her literary regrets. Matthew's death never fails to rip my heart out, and it's a little bit satisfying to know she felt the same way. I would have loved to see him live "a few more years" as she suggests.
I also enjoyed this book for what it was primarily intended it to be – as an inspiration for my own writing craft. LMM worked hard, so very hard. She was more than talented, she was driven and determined. She details how her writing routines adapted to the different stages of her life. From writing instead of doing sums, to early winter mornings, to writing in-between articles at her newspaper job. The one constant through her writing life was just that: consistency. She wrote so very much, incredibly so. I am in awe of her dedication.
Writing meant a lot to her. Not just as a career or a hobby. She loved it wholly, and found much fulfillment in it. Over the course of her life, she published 20 novels, 530 short stories, 500 poems, and 30 essays. She created one of the most iconic characters of children's literature, and is one of the most-read Canadian authors.
Through all her struggles (and her life, beyond the small frame of this autobiography, was very much one of tragedy) she continued to climb the Alpine Path.
The Alpine path, so hard, so steep,
That leads to heights sublime;
How I may reach that far-off goal
Of true and honoured fame,
And write upon its shining scroll
A woman’s humble name.
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